Application based display layout system and method

ABSTRACT

A method, computer program product, and computer system for defining, at a first computing device, at least a portion of a display area associated with the first computing device. A specialized communication from a second computing device is received at the first computing device. The specialized communication is rendered at the first computing device in at least the portion of the display area. Use of an application within at least the portion of the display is prevented at least while the specialized communication is accessed.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The subject application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/593,723, filed on May 12, 2017, which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/906,625,filed on May 31, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,769,095, issued on Sep. 19,2017, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

There are various ways to communicate between two or more users usingavailable technology, such as but not limited to phone, email, andinstant messaging. Instant messaging (IM), for example, may be aneffective and popular way to communicate, particularly within a businessenvironment. Unfortunately, the ability to communicate, e.g.,asynchronously, may enable the IM conversation to occur where each useris not entirely focused on the IM conversation itself. For instance,there may be other distractions that could happen during the IMconversation (e.g., another IM conversation from another user, otherapplications running on the computing device, etc.), which maytransition the user's focus away from the IM conversation at hand.

It is possible that the substance of the IM conversation may includeimportant and/or time sensitive subject matter which may require theundivided attention of either user. For example, user A may be user B'sboss and would like to get answers from user B on a critical topic. Bothuser A and user B may be remote from one another, and when user A startsthe IM conversation with user B, user A may want to have user B'sundivided attention throughout the conversation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

In one implementation, a method, performed by one or more computingdevices, may comprise defining, at a first computing device, at least aportion of a display area associated with the first computing device. Aspecialized communication from a second computing device may be receivedat the first computing device. The specialized communication may berendered at the first computing device in at least the portion of thedisplay area. Use of an application within at least the portion of thedisplay may be prevented at least while the specialized communication isaccessed.

One or more of the following features may be included. The specializedcommunication may include an instant message. Preventing use of theapplication within at least the portion of the display may includepreventing rendering of a display associated with the application fromentering at least the portion of the display area. Defining at least theportion of the display area may include defining a layout scheme.Rendering the specialized communication may include automaticallydisplaying the specialized communication in a pre-determined monitor ofa multi-monitor display. The specialized communication may include acommunication received from one or more pre-determined users. At leastthe portion of the display area may include a quadrant of the displayarea.

In another implementation, a computing system includes a processor and amemory configured to perform operations that may comprise defining, at afirst computing device, at least a portion of a display area associatedwith the first computing device. A specialized communication from asecond computing device may be received at the first computing device.The specialized communication may be rendered at the first computingdevice in at least the portion of the display area. Use of anapplication within at least the portion of the display may be preventedat least while the specialized communication is accessed.

One or more of the following features may be included. The specializedcommunication may include an instant message. Preventing use of theapplication within at least the portion of the display may includepreventing rendering of a display associated with the application fromentering at least the portion of the display area. Defining at least theportion of the display area may include defining a layout scheme.Rendering the specialized communication may include automaticallydisplaying the specialized communication in a pre-determined monitor ofa multi-monitor display. The specialized communication may include acommunication received from one or more pre-determined users. At leastthe portion of the display area may include a quadrant of the displayarea.

In another implementation, a computer program product resides on acomputer readable storage medium that has a plurality of instructionsstored on it. When executed by a processor, the instructions cause theprocessor to perform operations that may comprise defining, at a firstcomputing device, at least a portion of a display area associated withthe first computing device. A specialized communication from a secondcomputing device may be received at the first computing device. Thespecialized communication may be rendered at the first computing devicein at least the portion of the display area. Use of an applicationwithin at least the portion of the display may be prevented at leastwhile the specialized communication is accessed.

One or more of the following features may be included. The specializedcommunication may include an instant message. Preventing use of theapplication within at least the portion of the display may includepreventing rendering of a display associated with the application fromentering at least the portion of the display area. Defining at least theportion of the display area may include defining a layout scheme.Rendering the specialized communication may include automaticallydisplaying the specialized communication in a pre-determined monitor ofa multi-monitor display. The specialized communication may include acommunication received from one or more pre-determined users. At leastthe portion of the display area may include a quadrant of the displayarea.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, andthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a display process coupledto a distributed computing network according to one or moreimplementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a client electronic device of FIG. 1according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an illustrative flowchart of the display process of FIG. 1according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a screen image displayedby the display process of FIG. 1 according to one or moreimplementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a screen image displayedby the display process of FIG. 1 according to one or moreimplementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a screen image displayedby the display process of FIG. 1 according to one or moreimplementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a screen image displayedby the display process of FIG. 1 according to one or moreimplementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a screen image displayedby the display process of FIG. 1 according to one or moreimplementations of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a screen image displayedby the display process of FIG. 1 according to one or moreimplementations of the present disclosure.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

System Overview:

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present disclosuremay be embodied as a method, system, or computer program product.Accordingly, the present disclosure may take the form of an entirelyhardware implementation, an entirely software implementation (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an implementationcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program producton a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program codeembodied in the medium.

Any suitable computer usable or computer readable medium may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer-usable, orcomputer-readable, storage medium (including a storage device associatedwith a computing device or client electronic device) may be, forexample, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device,or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (anon-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium may include thefollowing: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-onlymemory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a media such as thosesupporting the internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device.Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even bea suitable medium upon which the program is stored, scanned, compiled,interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary,and then stored in a computer memory. In the context of this document, acomputer-usable or computer-readable, storage medium may be any tangiblemedium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connectionwith the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Thecomputer readable program code may be transmitted using any appropriatemedium, including but not limited to the internet, wireline, opticalfiber cable, RF, etc. A computer readable signal medium may be anycomputer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage mediumand that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use byor in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentdisclosure may be written in an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java®, Smalltalk, C++ or the like. Java and all Java-basedtrademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracleand/or its affiliates. However, the computer program code for carryingout operations of the present disclosure may also be written inconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language, PASCAL, or similar programming languages, as wellas in scripting languages such as Javascript or PERL. The program codemay execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof apparatus (systems), methods and computer program products accordingto various implementations of the present disclosure. It will beunderstood that each block in the flowchart and/or block diagrams, andcombinations of blocks in the flowchart and/or block diagrams, mayrepresent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one ormore executable computer program instructions for implementing thespecified logical function(s)/act(s). These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the computerprogram instructions, which may execute via the processor of thecomputer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create theability to implement one or more of the functions/acts specified in theflowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks or combinations thereof.It should be noted that, in some alternative implementations, thefunctions noted in the block(s) may occur out of the order noted in thefigures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, beexecuted substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionalityinvolved.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks or combinations thereof.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed (not necessarily in a particularorder) on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce acomputer implemented process such that the instructions which execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps forimplementing the functions/acts (not necessarily in a particular order)specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks orcombinations thereof.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown display process 10 that may resideon and may be executed by a computer (e.g., computer 12), which may beconnected to a network (e.g., network 14) (e.g., the internet or a localarea network). Examples of computer 12 (and/or one or more of the clientelectronic devices noted below) may include, but are not limited to, apersonal computer(s), a laptop computer(s), mobile computing device(s),a server computer, a series of server computers, a mainframecomputer(s), or a computing cloud(s). Computer 12 may execute anoperating system, for example, but not limited to, Microsoft® Windows®;Mac® OS X®; Red Hat® Linux®, or a custom operating system. (Microsoftand Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in theUnited States, other countries or both; Mac and OS X are registeredtrademarks of Apple Inc. in the United States, other countries or both;Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat Corporation in the UnitedStates, other countries or both; and Linux is a registered trademark ofLinus Torvalds in the United States, other countries or both).

As will be discussed below in greater detail, display process 10 maydefine, at a first computing device, at least a portion of a displayarea associated with the first computing device. A specializedcommunication (e.g., IM 17) from a second computing device may bereceived at the first computing device. The specialized communicationmay be rendered at the first computing device in at least the portion ofthe display area. Use of an application within at least the portion ofthe display may be prevented at least while the specializedcommunication is accessed.

The instruction sets and subroutines of display process 10, which may bestored on storage device 16 coupled to computer 12, may be executed byone or more processors (not shown) and one or more memory architectures(not shown) included within computer 12. Storage device 16 may includebut is not limited to: a hard disk drive; a flash drive, a tape drive;an optical drive; a RAID array; a random access memory (RAM); and aread-only memory (ROM).

Network 14 may be connected to one or more secondary networks (e.g.,network 18), examples of which may include but are not limited to: alocal area network; a wide area network; or an intranet, for example.

Computer 12 may include a data store, such as a database (e.g.,relational database, object-oriented database, triplestore database,etc.) and may be located within any suitable memory location, such asstorage device 16 coupled to computer 12. Any data described throughoutthe present disclosure may be stored in the data store. In someimplementations, computer 12 may utilize a database management systemsuch as, but not limited to, “My Structured Query Language” (MySQL®) inorder to provide multi-user access to one or more databases, such as theabove noted relational database. The data store may also be a customdatabase, such as, for example, a flat file database or an XML database.Any other form(s) of a data storage structure and/or organization mayalso be used. Display process 10 may be a component of the data store, astand alone application that interfaces with the above noted data storeand/or an applet/application that is accessed via client applications22, 24, 26, 28. The above noted data store may be, in whole or in part,distributed in a cloud computing topology. In this way, computer 12 andstorage device 16 may refer to multiple devices, which may also bedistributed throughout the network.

Computer 12 may execute a collaboration application (e.g., collaborationapplication 20), examples of which may include, but are not limited to,e.g., an instant messaging (IM) application, a web conferencingapplication, a video conferencing application, a voice-over-IPapplication, a video-over-IP application, or other application thatallows for virtual meeting and/or remote collaboration. Display process10 and/or collaboration application 20 may be accessed via clientapplications 22, 24, 26, 28. Display process 10 may be a stand aloneapplication, or may be an applet/application/script that may interactwith and/or be executed within collaboration application 20 and/or oneor more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28. Collaboration application20 may be a stand alone application, or may be anapplet/application/script that may interact with and/or be executedwithin display process 10 and/or one or more of client applications 22,24, 26, 28. One or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 may be astand alone application, or may be an applet/application/script that mayinteract with and/or be executed within display process 10 and/orcollaboration application 20. Examples of client applications 22, 24,26, 28 may include, but are not limited to, e.g., an instant messaging(IM) application, a web conferencing application, a video conferencingapplication, a voice-over-IP application, a video-over-IP application,or other application that allows for virtual meeting and/or remotecollaboration, a standard and/or mobile web browser, an email clientapplication, a textual and/or a graphical user interface, a customizedweb browser, a plugin, or a custom application. The instruction sets andsubroutines of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28, which may be storedon storage devices 30, 32, 34, 36 coupled to client electronic devices38, 40, 42, 44, may be executed by one or more processors (not shown)and one or more memory architectures (not shown) incorporated intoclient electronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44.

Storage devices 30, 32, 34, 36 may include but are not limited to: harddisk drives; flash drives, tape drives; optical drives; RAID arrays;random access memories (RAM); and read-only memories (ROM). Examples ofclient electronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44 (and/or computer 12) mayinclude, but are not limited to, a personal computer (e.g., clientelectronic device 38), a laptop computer (e.g., client electronic device40), a smart/data-enabled, cellular phone (e.g., client electronicdevice 42), a notebook computer (e.g., client electronic device 44), atablet (not shown), a server (not shown), a television (not shown), asmart television (not shown), a media (e.g., video, photo, etc.)capturing device (not shown), and a dedicated network device (notshown). Client electronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44 may each execute anoperating system, examples of which may include but are not limited to,Android™, Apple® iOS®, Mac® OS X®; Red Hat® Linux®, or a customoperating system.

One or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 may be configured toeffectuate some or all of the functionality of display process 10 (andvice versa). Accordingly, display process 10 may be a purely server-sideapplication, a purely client-side application, or a hybridserver-side/client-side application that is cooperatively executed byone or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 and/or display process10.

One or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 may be configured toeffectuate some or all of the functionality of collaboration application20 (and vice versa). Accordingly, collaboration application 20 may be apurely server-side application, a purely client-side application, or ahybrid server-side/client-side application that is cooperativelyexecuted by one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 and/orcollaboration application 20. As one or more of client applications 22,24, 26, 28, display process 10, and collaboration application 20, takensingly or in any combination, may effectuate some or all of the samefunctionality, any description of effectuating such functionality viaone or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28, display process 10,collaboration application 20, or combination thereof, and any describedinteraction(s) between one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26,28, display process 10, collaboration application 20, or combinationthereof to effectuate such functionality, should be taken as an exampleonly and not to limit the scope of the disclosure.

Users 46, 48, 50, 52 may access computer 12 and display process 10(e.g., using one or more of client electronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44)directly through network 14 or through secondary network 18. Further,computer 12 may be connected to network 14 through secondary network 18,as illustrated with phantom link line 54. Display process 10 may includeone or more user interfaces, such as browsers and textual or graphicaluser interfaces, through which users 46, 48, 50, 52 may access displayprocess 10.

The various client electronic devices may be directly or indirectlycoupled to network 14 (or network 18). For example, client electronicdevice 38 is shown directly coupled to network 14 via a hardwirednetwork connection. Further, client electronic device 44 is showndirectly coupled to network 18 via a hardwired network connection.Client electronic device 40 is shown wirelessly coupled to network 14via wireless communication channel 56 established between clientelectronic device 40 and wireless access point (i.e., WAP) 58, which isshown directly coupled to network 14. WAP 58 may be, for example, anIEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, Wi-Fi®, and/or Bluetooth™ device that iscapable of establishing wireless communication channel 56 between clientelectronic device 40 and WAP 58. Client electronic device 42 is shownwirelessly coupled to network 14 via wireless communication channel 60established between client electronic device 42 and cellularnetwork/bridge 62, which is shown directly coupled to network 14.

Some or all of the IEEE 802.11x specifications may use Ethernet protocoland carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (i.e.,CSMA/CA) for path sharing. The various 802.11x specifications may usephase-shift keying (i.e., PSK) modulation or complementary code keying(i.e., CCK) modulation, for example. Bluetooth™ is a telecommunicationsindustry specification that allows, e.g., mobile phones, computers,smart phones, and other electronic devices to be interconnected using ashort-range wireless connection. Other forms of interconnection (e.g.,Near Field Communication (NFC)) may also be used.

Referring also to FIG. 2, there is shown a diagrammatic view of clientelectronic device 38. While client electronic device 38 is shown in thisfigure, this is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to bea limitation of this disclosure, as other configurations are possible.For example, any computing device capable of executing, in whole or inpart, display process 10 may be substituted for client electronic device38 within FIG. 2, examples of which may include but are not limited tocomputer 12 and/or client electronic devices 40, 42, 44.

Client electronic device 38 may include a processor and/ormicroprocessor (e.g., microprocessor 200) configured to, e.g., processdata and execute the above-noted code/instruction sets and subroutines.Microprocessor 200 may be coupled via a storage adaptor (not shown) tothe above-noted storage device. An I/O controller (e.g., I/O controller202) may be configured to couple microprocessor 200 with variousdevices, such as keyboard 206, pointing/selecting device (e.g., mouse208), custom device (e.g., device 215), USB ports (not shown), andprinter ports (not shown). A display adaptor (e.g., display adaptor 210)may be configured to couple display 212 (e.g., CRT or LCD monitor(s))with microprocessor 200, while network controller/adaptor 214 (e.g., anEthernet adaptor) may be configured to couple microprocessor 200 to theabove-noted network 14 (e.g., the Internet or a local area network).

The Display Process:

As discussed above and referring also to FIGS. 3-9, display process 10may define 300, at a first computing device, at least a portion of adisplay area associated with the first computing device. A specializedcommunication from a second computing device may be received 302 bydisplay process 10 at the first computing device. Display process 10 mayrender 304 the specialized communication at the first computing devicein at least the portion of the display area. Display process 10 mayprevent 306 use of an application within at least the portion of thedisplay at least while the specialized communication is accessed.

As discussed above, the ability to communicate, e.g., asynchronously,may enable a conversation (e.g., an instant messaging (IM) conversation)to occur where each user is not entirely focused on the IM conversationitself. For instance, there may be distractions that could happen duringthe IM conversation (e.g., another IM conversation from another user,other applications running on the computing device, etc.), which maytransition the user's focus away from the IM conversation at hand. Itmay be possible to obtain greater focus on the part of either userduring the IM conversation. For instance, as will be discussed ingreater detail below, portions of a monitor display may be reserved fordisplaying, e.g., IM communications and/or particular IM communications(e.g., from particular senders), which may be to the exclusion ofdisplay usage for other applications or purposes.

For example, in some implementations, display process 10 (alone and/orin conjunction with one or more of client application 22 andcollaboration application 20) may define 300, at a first computingdevice (e.g., client electronic device 38), at least a portion of adisplay area associated with client electronic device 38. For instance,and referring at least to FIG. 4, an example user interface 400associated with display process 10 (and/or client electronic device 38)is shown. User interface 400 may be rendered via display 212. Userinterface 400 associated with display process 10 may provide arepresentation of display 212, e.g., which may allow a portion of thedisplay to be defined, e.g., for rendering specialized communications.Assume for example purposes only that client electronic device 38 isrunning an IM application (e.g., via client application 22,collaboration application 20, display process 10, or combinationthereof). In the example, display process 10 may enable user 46 toselect an object (not shown) associated with the IM application that mayprovide user 46 with user interface 400, where user 46 may further beenabled to adjust certain settings of the IM application. As will bediscussed in greater detail below, one example setting may includedefining 300 where IM conversations may be rendered upon receipt of anIM message.

For example, in some implementations, defining 300 at least the portionof the display area may include display process 10 defining 308 a layoutscheme (e.g., for IM communications). As an example, display process 10may enable user 46 (via user interface 400) to define 308 the layoutscheme. For instance, assume for example purposes only that userinterface 400 is representative of display 212 and that user 46 (viadisplay process 10) wants to define 300 a portion of the upper rightsection of display 212 as being a location of display 212 for renderingone or more instant messaging communications. In the example, andreferring also to FIG. 5, user 46 may user a cursor (e.g., cursor 402)to “right-click” and drag cursor 402 to create, e.g., one or more areas,to represent the portion (e.g., portion 404) of display 212 in thelayout scheme. Other techniques of defining 300/308 the portion of thedisplay area may be used without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. For instance, pre-made shapes may be dragged onto userinterface 400 from a tool bar (not shown) of user interface 400. Asanother example, cursor 402 may be used as a drawing tool to define300/308 portion 404. As yet another example, a pre-determined layout maybe selected, e.g., from the above-noted tool bar. As such, theparticular “click and drag” example of defining 300/308 portion 404should be taken as an example only and not to limit the scope of thedisclosure.

In some implementations, at least the portion of the display area mayinclude a quadrant of the display area. For example, and referring atleast to FIG. 5, user interface 400 (e.g., via display process 10) mayenable user 46 to select one or more quadrants of display 212 as thearea defining 300 portion 404 (e.g., a portion of display 212 fordisplaying particular instant messaging communications). In the example,user 46 may use cursor 402 to select and define 300 (via user interface400) an entire quadrant of display 212 as the area defining 300 portion404. Other example layout schemes may include but are not limited todefining 300 portion 404 as the entire display area of display 212, orhaving the bottom of the screen always appear on top.

In some implementations, a specialized communication from a secondcomputing device (e.g., client electronic device 42) may be received 302by display process 10 at client electronic device 38. For example, user48 (e.g., via client application 24 of client electronic device 40,collaboration application 20, display process 10, or combinationthereof) may send the specialized communication to user 46 via clientelectronic device 38. In some implementations, the specializedcommunication (e.g., IM 17) may include an instant message. It will beappreciated that other communication examples may be used withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. For example, thespecialized communication may include an email. As another example, thespecialized communication may include a text message. As such, theexample of an instant message as the specialized communication should betaken as an example only and not to limit the scope of the disclosure.

In some implementations, the specialized communication may include acommunication received 302 from one or more pre-determined users. Forinstance, display process 10 may enable user 46 to designate certaincommunications as a specialized (e.g., urgent) communications. Forexample, and referring at least to FIG. 6, user interface 400 mayinclude window 600. In the example window 600 may enable user 46 todesignate which user(s) should have their IMs designated by displayprocess 10 as a specialized communication (e.g., by using cursor 402 toselect drop down menu 602). In some implementations, the users whichhave been designated by user 46 may be required to accept an invitationto be included in the list of who should have their IMs designated bydisplay process 10 as a specialized communication. For example, displayprocess 10 may send an invitation to, e.g., user 48, after user 46 hasused drop down menu 602 to select user 48 as having his/her IMsdesignated by display process 10 as a specialized communication. In theexample, once user 48 has accepted the invitation, the IMs sent fromuser 48 to user 46 may be considered a specialized communication.

In some implementations, window 600 may include drop down menus 604 and606 to designate times when IMs sent from users selected drop down menu602 should be designated as a specialized communication. For example,assume that user 48 is selected in drop down menu 602, a beginning timeof 7:15 am is selected from drop down menu 604, and an ending time of5:00 pm is selected from drop down menu 606. In the example, IMs sentfrom user 48 to user 46 between 7:15 am and 5:00 pm may be designated asa specialized communication by display process 10. Further in theexample, IMs from user 48 to user 46 that are not sent (and/or received302) between 7:15 am and 5:00 pm may not be designated as a specializedcommunication by display process 10. It will be appreciated that otherexamples of the characteristics determining whether an IM may bedesignated as a specialized communication without departing from thescope of this disclosure. For example, window 600 may provide for auser's title as a possible characteristic. For instance, drop down menu602 may include a user's label (e.g., Boss, Family Member, Stock Broker,etc.), which may be assigned by user 46 via display process 10. Asanother example, display process 10 may provide an object (not shown) onan IM chat window (not shown) that may enable user 48 to designatespecific IMs as a specialized communication. As such, the examplecharacteristics determining whether an IM may be designated as aspecialized communication should be taken as an example only and not tolimit the scope of this disclosure.

In some implementations, display process 10 may render 304 thespecialized communication at the first computing device in at least theportion of the display area. For instance, referring at least to FIG. 7and continuing with the above example, assume for example purposes onlythat user 48 has sent IM 17 to user 46 at 8:00 am (i.e., between 7:15 amand 5:00 pm) and is designated as a specialized communication by displayprocess 10. In the example, display process 10 may render 304 IM 17within portion 404 (as defined 300 in FIG. 4) of the display area (e.g.,display 212).

In some implementations, portion 404 may include more than one portiondefined 300 for more than one user and/or groups of users. For example,display process 10 (e.g., via user interface 400 and/or window 600) mayenable user 46 to select the upper right quadrant of display 212 as theportion where IMs sent from family members (that also meet any othercriteria to satisfy the IMs as a specialized communication) are to berendered 304, and may further enable user 46 to select the upper leftquadrant of display 212 as the portion where IMs sent from the stockbroker of user 46 (that also meet any other criteria to satisfy the IMsas a specialized communication) are to be rendered 304. It will beappreciated that various combinations of users, user groups, and theirrespective portions within display 212 where IMs are to be rendered maybe designated by user 46 (via display process 10) without departing fromthe scope of the disclosure.

As another example, in some implementations, rendering 304 thespecialized communication may include display process 10 automaticallydisplaying 310 the specialized communication in a pre-determined monitorof a multi-monitor display. For instance, and continuing with the aboveexample, assume for example purposes only that user 48 has sent IM 17 touser 46 at 8:00 am (i.e., between 7:15 am and 5:00 pm) and is designatedas a specialized communication by display process 10. Further assumethat another selectable option (not shown) from user interface 400and/or window 600 enables user 46 via display process 10 to define 300which monitor (in a multi-monitor display) to render 304 IM 17 (e.g.,main monitor, alternative monitor 1, alternative monitor 2, etc.). Inthe example, if user 46 selected alternative monitor 2, display process10 may render 304 IM 17 within portion 404 (as defined 300 in FIG. 4) ofthe display area (e.g., display 212) for alternative monitor 2. In someimplementations, a visual cue (not shown) may be rendered by displayprocess 10 on the primary monitor to alert user 46 of IM 17 on thealternative monitor 2.

In some implementations, display process 10 may prevent 306 use of anapplication within at least the portion of the display at least whilethe specialized communication is accessed. For example, preventing 306use of the application within at least the portion of the display mayinclude display process 10 preventing 312 rendering of a displayassociated with the application from entering at least the portion ofthe display area. For example, and referring at least to FIG. 8, assumefor example purposes only that another application (e.g., application Xin window 800) may be open and at least a portion of window 800 iswithin portion 404 (as defined 300 in FIG. 4) of the display area (e.g.,display 212). In the example, when display process 10 receives 302 thespecialized message (e.g., IM 17) and renders 304 IM 17 within portion404, the portion of window 800 within portion 404 may be covered by IM17, thereby preventing 312 that portion of window 800 from beingrendered within portion 404. In the example, display process 10 mayaccess APIs of the above-noted operating systems executing on clientelectronic device 38 to prevent 312 that portion of window 800 frombeing rendered within portion 404. In some implementations, if user 46(via display process 10) is no longer accessing IM 17 (e.g., IM 17 isminimized or closed), all of window 800 may be rendered.

In some implementations, preventing 306 use of application X and/orpreventing rendering 312 of window 800 from entering portion 404 mayinclude preventing 312 rendering of at least a portion of window 800 byincreasing the transparency of window 800. For example, and referring atleast to FIG. 9, when display process 10 receives 302 the specializedmessage (e.g., IM 17) and renders 304 IM 17 within portion 404, theportion of window 800 within portion 404 may become more transparentthan IM 17. In some implementations, the entirety of window 800 maybecome more transparent than IM 17 (as shown by phantom lines of window800).

In some implementations, preventing 306 use of application X may includea requirement that IM 17 be responded to before application X may beaccessed. For example, when IM 17 is rendered 304, display process 10may prevent user 46 from accessing window 800 until a response isreturned to user 48. As another example, when IM 17 is rendered 304,display process 10 may prevent application X (or other non-criticalapplications) from running until a response is returned to user 48. Assuch, the specific examples of preventing 306 use of application Xshould be taken as an example only and not to limit the scope of thedisclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularimplementations only and is not intended to be limiting of thedisclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps (notnecessarily in a particular order), operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps (not necessarily in a particular order),operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications,variations, and any combinations thereof will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe disclosure. The implementation(s) were chosen and described in orderto best explain the principles of the disclosure and the practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the disclosure for various implementation(s) with variousmodifications and/or any combinations of implementation(s) as are suitedto the particular use contemplated.

Having thus described the disclosure of the present application indetail and by reference to implementation(s) thereof, it will beapparent that modifications, variations, and any combinations ofimplementation(s) (including any modifications, variations, andcombinations thereof) are possible without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising: defining, at a first computing device, at least a portion of an application display area of applications executed by the first computing device, wherein defining at least the portion of the application display area includes enabling a user to define, via a user interface, a layout scheme, wherein at least the portion of the application display area includes one or more quadrants of the application display area; receiving, at the first computing device, a specialized communication from a second computing device that is a communication at a particular time and from a user via a second computing device, wherein the communication is designated as a specialized communication responsive to the communication matching two or more characteristics, wherein the two or more characteristics include at least the particular time being during a designated time period and the user being included in a group of one or more pre-determined users; rendering, at the first computing device, the specialized communication in at least a first program window in a quadrant of the one or more quadrants of the at least the portion of the application display area, wherein the rendering includes designating at least one of one or more users and one or more groups of users to the one or more quadrants of the application display area, wherein the one or more quadrants of at least the portion of the application display area is selected and defined, via the user interface, to display a designated specialized communication; preventing use of an application of the applications within at least the portion of the application display area until the specialized communication is no longer being accessed; and preventing rendering of a display associated with another application of the applications from entering at least the portion of the display area associated with the application by increasing transparency of said another application.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the specialized communication includes an instant message.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein preventing use of the application within at least the portion of the display includes preventing rendering of a display associated with the application from entering at least the portion of the display area.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein rendering the specialized communication includes automatically displaying the specialized communication in a predetermined monitor of a multi-monitor display.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the specialized communication includes a communication received from one or more pre-determined users.
 6. A computing system including a processor and a memory configured to perform operations comprising: defining, at a first computing device, at least a portion of a display area associated with the first computing device, wherein defining at least the portion of the display area includes enabling a user to define, via a user interface, a layout scheme, wherein at least the portion of the display area includes one or more quadrants of the display area; receiving, at the first computing device, a specialized communication from a second computing device that is a communication at a particular time and from a user via a second computing device, wherein the communication is designated as a specialized communication responsive to the communication matching two or more characteristics, wherein the two or more characteristics include at least the particular time being during a designated time period and the user being included in a group of one or more pre-determined users; rendering, at the first computing device, the specialized communication in at least the portion of the display area based upon the specialized communication matching the two or more characteristics, the rendering including designating at least one of one or more users and one or more groups of users to the one or more quadrants of the display area, wherein the one or more quadrants of at least the portion of the display area is selected and defined, via the user interface, to display a designated specialized communication; preventing an application from being accessed within at least the portion of the display area until the specialized communication is no longer being accessed; and preventing rendering of a display associated with another application from entering at least the portion of the display area associated with the application by increasing transparency of said another application.
 7. The computing system of claim 6 wherein the specialized communication includes an instant message.
 8. The computing system of claim 6 wherein preventing use of the application within at least the portion of the display includes preventing rendering of a display associated with the application from entering at least the portion of the display area.
 9. The computing system of claim 6 wherein rendering the specialized communication includes automatically displaying the specialized communication in a pre-determined monitor of a multi-monitor display.
 10. The computing system of claim 6 wherein the specialized communication includes a communication received from one or more pre-determined users.
 11. A computer program product residing on a computer readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: defining, at a first computing device, at least a portion of a display area associated with the first computing device, wherein defining at least the portion of the display area includes enabling a user to define, via a user interface, a layout scheme, wherein at least the portion of the display area includes one or more quadrants of the display area; receiving, at the first computing device, a specialized communication from a second computing device that is a communication at a particular time and from a user via a second computing device, wherein the communication is designated as a specialized communication responsive to the communication matching two or more characteristics, wherein the two or more characteristics include at least the particular time being during a designated time period and the user being included in a group of one or more pre-determined users; rendering, at the first computing device, the specialized communication in at least the portion of the display area based upon the specialized communication matching the two or more characteristics, wherein the rendering includes designating at least one of one or more users and one or more groups of users to the one or more quadrants of the display area, wherein the one or more quadrants of at least the portion of the display area is selected and defined, via the user interface, to display a designated specialized communication; preventing an application from being accessed within at least the portion of the display until the specialized communication is no longer being accessed; and preventing rendering of a display associated with another application from entering at least the portion of the display area associated with the application by increasing transparency of said another application.
 12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the specialized communication includes an instant message.
 13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein preventing use of the application within at least the portion of the display includes preventing rendering of a display associated with the application from entering at least the portion of the display area.
 14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein rendering the specialized communication includes automatically displaying the specialized communication in a predetermined monitor of a multi-monitor display.
 15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the specialized communication includes a communication received from one or more pre-determined users. 